Capturing Visions of a New Citizenship Education Curriculum: Consulting Stakeholders in Lebanon

• In Event: Education for Diversity, Citizenship, and Human Rights in the Middle East

Abstract

Dr. Maha Shuayb, and Dr. Bassel Akar (Lebanon)
This paper reports on an attempt to influence policy and practice by providing evidence of stakeholder reactions to the reform of citizenship education. Following a research report revealing the curricular and pedagogical shortcomings of the civic education program in Lebanon (LAES, 2006), the Ministry of Education and Higher Education prioritized citizenship education as one of ten components of its 2010-2015 reform plan. Previous education reform processes in Lebanon have been led by ministry-appointed curriculum developers who are heavily influenced by representatives of sectarian communities (Frayha, 2004). There has been little or no consultation with stakeholders, such as students or teachers (BouJaoude & Ghaith, 2006).
Substantial funding from the EU enabled the establishment from September 2012 of a team of three researchers based in Beirut and three in London with administrative support in both places. Having undertaken a thorough literature review and mapped previous relevant initiatives involving NGOs, the team designed a predominantly qualitative methodology that engaged students, teachers, principals and parents in a consultative exercise about their visions for the new citizenship curriculum. A further team of eight locally-based researchers was recruited and trained to undertake visits to a selection of 36 schools from the public and private sectors covering all 6 governorates.
Instruments developed included semi-structured interviews with principals and teachers, survey packs as classroom activities with students and focus groups with parents. Open-ended questions aimed to explore experiences of current citizenship education practices and proposals for developing more participative, reflective and collaborative approaches to learning for active citizenship. In each school, groups of students in grades 2, 4, 8 and 11 completed two forms of survey packs – one focusing on classroom pedagogies and another on extra-curricular activities.
The research process revealed several challenges including logistical difficulties due to the overspill of violence related to the civil war in neighbouring Syria. Once on site, some of the concepts and processes related to citizenship education such as community service and active and critical learning were not always understood by the students, teachers, principals and parents who had had limited exposure to them. For some participants it was difficult to envision a concept of citizenship beyond nationalism, perhaps reflecting the absence of any references to the refugees’ issues in the current Lebanese curriculum.
As a result, teachers and principals found it difficult to discuss diversity although this had become a critical dimension with the influx of Syrian refugee students in public schools. Some principals were reluctant for us to consult the parents of refugees. However, when given the opportunity there were high levels of enthusiasm amongst the Palestinian and Syrian refugees to participate in the vision for the new citizenship curriculum. The analysis of the qualitative data using NVivo software, suggests that students, teachers and administrators may need guidance in participative and collaborative learning activities since such pedagogies are, apparently, quite foreign to the classroom. Professional development should focus on understanding citizenship and human rights and developing active approaches to learning.

Authors

• Maha Shuayb, Center for Lebanese Studies

• Bassel Akar, Notre Dame University, Louaize